Elevation with Steven Furtick - It's Worth The Dirt

Episode Date: January 25, 2026

Wondering if you should give up because progress feels slow? Wisdom isn’t choosing what’s easiest, it’s choosing what’s worth it. If you’re tempted to quit because it’s hard, remember: God uses pressure and patience to prepare you for something greater.If you’ve just made a decision for Christ, please respond HERE: ele.vc/tIepfr Scripture References:Matthew 13, verses 31-32, 44Genesis 2, verse 7See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed Human. Hey, this is Stephen Ferdick. I'm the pastor of Elevation Church, and this is our podcast. I wanted to thank you for joining us today. Hope this inspires you. Hope it builds your faith. Hope it gives you perspective to see God is moving in your life.

Enjoy the message. Come on, somebody. Help me lift the name of Jesus. Come on, let's lift the name of Jesus. ...in the name of Jesus. Freedom in the name of Jesus. No other name but Jesus, the only name that saves. Father, I thank you today that when I don't know what to do, I know who to call.

I ask you today, Lord, show up for your people. They've called on you. They've cried to you. We believe in your word. Your word says that if we call, you'll hear us in the day of trouble. I pray right now, Lord, that for every storm that may be happening, whether it's a physical storm that the weatherman was talking about, or whether it's an emotional storm that no one knows of, that you would speak peace to it. Peace. Be still. Peace. Yours is the voice that doesn't need a sound system. Peace. Be still. Yours is the voice that doesn't need a sound system. Peace. Be still. Yours is

the power that never goes out. Peace, be still. Would you reach around and hug seven people and tell them this, the Lord is going to give you extra blessings for being here today. Those of you online, how are you doing? God is with you, mighty warrior. Get out of the wine press. Stop worrying about it and worship through it.

is with you in this storm. Yeah, I don't care what the enemy is. The Bible says he'll prepare a table in the presence of your enemies. Our God is great and greatly to be praised. Everybody say, my God is great. Come on either say it with your lips or type it with your fingers or use your thumbs. Put it in the comments right now. Say, my God is great. Tell them yours is great too. Come on, tell your neighbor, we got the same God. Tell him he likes me better, but we're both his kids. How many secretly feel like you're one of God's favorites? Just slip your finger up right here. I want to welcome everybody that's a part of our church, our global eFAM around the world. Let's welcome all those who are joining us online today. You know, it's an interesting dilemma. We've been hearing weather reports of

apocalyptic storm that may be coming and while we take that seriously and while we'll be working with our outreach partners to help all of those who are affected and to minister to those who are in need, you know, it gets kind of hard sometimes because there's always a report. There's always a reason not to do something. And when we heard that the storm was coming right here through where we live, it was a conversation, you know, should we cancel church? And something inside of me was like, This is Elevation Church. And if anything, we can't cancel it. If anything, we've got to sneak up on the devil a day early.

So that's what we're doing. We gathered together about 1,500 of the most saved, sanctified people in the Carolina. Some from Virginia. I mean, these are, watch this. These are Holy Ghost-filled believers in the room today. That's right. That's right. We checked all the U-Version Bible reading plans in the church and the people with the perfect streaks got to come to church today. So we're sharing this with you a little early. The Lord is in this place. And it's been an interesting day here in the room. It's been interesting. Not only do they say a storm is coming, but something happened that's never happened in the 20 years of this church. The entire sound system went out like 500 times. While we were trying to transition into the sermon and we kept on having to sing the third and fourth and fifth verses of songs that only have two verses, that was interesting as well.

And I started thinking about all of that and I thought, you know, Lord, well, maybe you didn't want us to bring this message today. Maybe you didn't want me to preach today, all these distractions and all these hindrances and all these obstacles. You didn't want me to have this service today. Maybe you didn't want me to preach this word today. Something inside me said, no, maybe the devil didn't. See, we misinterpret when things go wrong.

Now, I don't even know if my mic's going to work for this whole sermon, but I need every prayer warrior praying that this word would reach right where it's supposed to go. We welcome you into the presence of the Lord today. Wherever you are, whatever you're going through. God has a word for you, and no word from God will return void. Isaiah 55 says, as the rain falls from the heaven and waters the earth and causes it to flourish, so will God's word be that comes forth from his mouth. It will not return unto him void.

It will accomplish what he sent it to do. How many are excited about the word today? Come on, clap your hands on your couch. call, everybody, put your name in the chat, and open your Bible, please, to Matthew Chapter 13. Matthew Chapter 13, verses 31 and 32, and Matthew chapter 13 verse 44. I'm going to share a little scripture today with you that is really going to help you in your life. And if while I'm preaching the microphone pops and struggles and strains underneath the weight of this anointing, I will scream so loud that the dude in the back

row will fall down the stairs from the shock until my voice is raw, and the Lord will speak. Now listen to this. This is Matthew chapter 13, verse 31 and 32, and Matthew chapter 13, verse 44. Jesus told them another parable. He said, the kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field, though it is the smallest of all seeds. Yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree so that the birds come and perch in its branches. Wow.

Verse 44. The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again. And then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. I have a word from the Lord for you today. The Lord told me to tell you, it's worth the dirt. It's worth the dirt. Father, these moments in your presence are precious.

We pray for your protection. and a hedge of your glory around each of your children today so that they can receive what you speak. However it comes out, this is your word and your church. In Jesus' name, amen. Touch your neighbor and tell them it's worth the dirt on your way to your seat. I know you had to wait for this sermon, but it's going to be worth it. Now I have a feeling that this microphone is not going to hold up today, but I think what I'm going

to do is I'm just going to preach this as awkward as it needs to be preached. unless that becomes so distracting that we can't take it. And if somebody wants to run to Target and buy me a megaphone, I'll preach through that as well. You know, God is so good. He teaches us to discern in different seasons of our life whether or not something is worth it. And maturity is learning to see when something will be worth it and embrace it. And when it's not worth it to walk away. That's what maturity is. Being mature in your faith, it's about recognizing when it's worth it and when it isn't worth it. And not only recognize it, but walk away when it's not worth it.

Tell your neighbor, just practice real quick. Say, it's not even worth it. It's not even worth it. Some things are. Some things aren't. For years when I would go watch Graham wrestle, usually I spend my Saturdays in a sweaty gym. that smelled like boy. Smelled like the worst parts of a boy. By about 2 o'clock in the afternoon, it would be cooking in that oven. The reason I know that it was worth it is because the first time he ever won a big wrestling tournament, I said to him afterwards, man, I'm so glad I was here to see it. Now, the reason that I almost wasn't there was because I had to bring in a guest preacher to preach for me in order to be at this tournament.

And there was a part of me sitting there like, man, thousands of people that need the gospel and then my son's wrestling. I don't know what to do. Is it worth it to not preach to go watch him in this tournament? So he wins the whole thing, right? And we're sitting at Pizza Hut, where all of my food addiction issues began with the Booket Club. I'm serious. All of my food reward issues started in the fourth grade reading the babysitters club and getting pizza for it. Shouldn't have confessed that. Well, we're sitting there at Pizza Hut, Celebrating his gold medal and I said, man, I'm so glad I came. What if you'd have won the whole tournament and I hadn't been here to see it? And he said, well, if you hadn't been here to see it, I probably wouldn't have won it. If you hadn't been here to see it, I probably wouldn't have won it. So every time I'd be hauling my butt into a gym with some boys' feet propped up on the bleachers behind me, I mean at a wrestling tournament, they turned the whole gym into a locker room. It's awesome. It's incredible. And in a room full of half-naked men packed to the gills and And me sitting there in the middle of all of it with my OCD, I'm going, it's worth it, it's worth

it, it's worth it, it's worth it. Not just because he's going to go to the Olympics, but because he told me it's worth it. Tell somebody, sometimes it's worth it. Sometimes you've got to preach with the mic popping because it's worth it. Sometimes you've got to come out to church a day early on a Saturday because it's worth it. It's worth it. And wisdom is knowing when it's worth it. Wisdom is the ability to hear that little whisper that God will give you from time to time

and say, it's worth it. And sometimes it's just a little whisper. God will encourage you in the moment where you feel like giving up and he'll say, no, no, no, it's worth it. Keep doing it. It's worth it. Just whisper to your neighbor say, it's worth it. Not telling them to say, it's worth it when it's worth it.

But you know what? I had a moment the other day and it happened when I was bending the next to the other day. It happened when I was vending down to tie my shoes. And Holly was in the other room laughing at me. And she said, babe, you're tying your shoes like you are 88. And I said, I know, babe, I can't help it. That's the price that I pay for this physique. It just comes with soreness.

And she said, yeah, but the trade-off, like you look great, but do you really have to go that hard on leg day that you can't tie your shoes? And I had a moment standing there in the closet listening to my wife mock me. A moment of maturity where I decided, you know what, she's right, this is not worth it. Even though that lady at the gym 15 years ago made fun of me and said, do you ever do leg day and created a complex inside of me while I was wearing my shorts, I was bending down to tie my shoes and something just hit me real quick like, you know what? Nobody is looking at your hamstrings.

Nobody. Not even Holly wants to see your hamstrings. So just wear some sweats and cover your quads. What are you trying to be a quad model? And that was the last day I ever did heavy squats. Because it's not worth it. I came to set somebody free from leg day today. You're too old for that now.

You're not supposed to be going down that deep. If the Lord would have made you to bend down like that, he'd have put hinges on your hips. It's not helping anybody, and nobody is looking at your calves. them up, it's not worth it. Wear some baggy jeans. Tie your shoes and be happy. In Matthew chapter 13, what a transition. Pulling out all the stops today on snow day.

In Matthew chapter 13, Jesus is giving a very important lesson to his disciples on what's worth it. Because he knows there will be a time soon to come when he goes to the cross and their commitment to him will be changed. challenged by that cross. See, they left a lot to follow him. They left their fishing businesses. They left their tax collecting agencies.

Many of them even left their family's approval to follow this wonderworking rebel priest named Jesus of Nazareth, who was considered a heretic by many. And at the moment that he could have called the Legion of Angels to get him down off the cross and didn't, I wonder, did they wonder, was it worth it? And I wonder who I'm preaching to today that wonders, is it worth it? Is it worth it for me to keep serving God? It doesn't seem to be doing me any good. Is it worth it for me to keep being pure as a teenager?

Everybody else is having more fun than I am. Is it worth it for me to be the weird kid that doesn't get invited to the parties because I have a standard of purity and I have a direction of destiny? I have learned at this stage of my life how important it is, that we are not driven by external and others-focused metrics of what matters. You have to decide what is worth it from within. You have to. Or else you'll jump on every trend.

Or else you will burn yourself out and then ask God to light your fire. But God can't light a fire. when you don't have the priorities to put his presence first in your life. And I think this is your year to decide what's worth it to you and to commit to what is and to walk away from what isn't. This is not permission to quit your job. Because I bet you like that check. That check is kind of worth it.

It's kind of worth your boss's bad breath, isn't it? That health insurance is kind of worth it. dental insurance make you put up with a lot of stuff. See, I think it's very difficult for us in the moment to know, is it worth it? It's easy to look back and say that wasn't worth it. It's easy to look back and say that was worth it. Where the Holy Spirit comes in is to look at something and to realize this is worth it. And the Lord will whisper, it's worth it. I know it doesn't look like much, but it's worth it. I know it's hard for you and nobody's appreciating you, but it's worth it. I've called you to it. And then the Holy Spirit will whisper to you.

Sometimes it's not worth it. I know you want to tell them off. Save your breath. It's not worth it. I know you want to put them in their place and you can do it, but it's not worth it. You're going to be sore tomorrow if you go off today. Now you're going to have to apologize and create more work for yourself. Just put it in the comments.

It's not worth it. I learned that about leg day, but I'm still learning it about life. I'm learning that it is not worth. it for me to respond to every criticism. I mean, let's be honest, I've had my fair share of practice. How many of y'all that go to this church have ever heard somebody say something bad about me? How many of you wanted to punch them in the mouth? I love y'all. That's our real church right there. One of my friends asked me one time, he's like, Pastor, don't you feel like the staff you got around you is too saved? Don't you feel like you need a few barely saved

just out of prison ministry staff around you just to handle the nonsense. I thought, no, it's not worth it. Peter didn't get this. When they came to get Jesus, he started cutting off ears, and Jesus said, what is this? It's not worth it. Nothing can stop me from going to the cross because that's what God sent me to do. It's not worth it. That phrase right there will set you free. It's not worth it. It's not worth it. Because if I defend myself to a critic and I win, what have I won? A critic who changed their mind? What prize do I get for changing their mind?

If I change your mind, I get what? See, I might win an argument, but it's too expensive because it cost me my peace. So I'd rather keep my peace than win an argument. Jesus is helping his disciples to discern what's worth it. And that's what he's doing in your life right now. He's allowing some things to be pruned. He's allowing some things to be moved. He's allowing some people that were in your life to move to a different circle. It's not that you don't love them. It's just that you can't invest in everybody in this season of your life. And so God graciously moves people into different seasons so that you can focus on what's right in front of you so God can show you what's worth it. That's why God let you have that really bad hangover so you could realize this is not worth it. I don't want to pass this crap on to my kids. I don't want them to have to struggle with this addiction because it's not worth it. And in Matthew chapter 13, we get two parables of seven that are mentioned by Jesus in the gospel of Matthew.

They are the mysteries of the kingdom. One of those mysteries is the mystery of the mustard seed, and one is the treasure in the field. And what they both hold in common to me is not apparent on the surface. He told them another parable, the kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed. seed, which a man took and planted in his field. That's a beautiful scripture to me, because a mustard seed is indeed the parabolic smallest seed that was known at the time. Not technically, but it was commonly accepted to say, it's as small as a mustard seed.

Go on. Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree. so that the birds come and perch in its branches. To me, this speaks to the temptation that I feel so often in my life to dismiss something that God is doing because of a small beginning. Because of a small beginning. I can think of so many examples in my life where it was little until it wasn't.

A little thing that almost seemed so inconsequential and it was little until it wasn't. And I found out when God speaks to us, he usually speaks little things to us. It's worth it. It's little until it isn't. What's the first thing that Jesus told Peter to do? Not leave your nets and follow me.

He just said, put down the nets for a catch. Well, that's something that Peter did all the time. It was little until it wasn't. Because when Jesus told him to do the little thing, put down the nets for a catch, Jesus had a big thing in my. Somebody say, God's got something big for me. Come on, say, you've got to say that with some volume now. God's got something big for me. Say it again.

God's got something big for me. It starts as a seed. And if you dismiss the seed, you miss the thing. The kingdom of heaven. it like, Jesus? Tell us what the kingdom of heaven is like. It's like the smallest sea. It's almost microscopic, but it can be miraculous, and it just takes time. It matters. It just takes time. And I have a phone full of proof that everything that God does big starts small. I have a phone full of voice notes that have songs that we sing in our church that started as a

little melody idea that we hummed into the phone. If you heard it, you would think I was having a nervous breakdown. It doesn't sound like a song. It doesn't sound like anything. It sounds like a mumble. It sounds like a mustard seed. But God turns some of those mumbles into anthems that people can sing when they're looking at mountains. So now I remember, watch this. It's little until it isn't. It's little until it isn't. One day David was told by his father to carry some cheese and bread to the battle lines to his brothers. Well, that's a little thing. All he's doing at this point that I can tell is doing an Uber driver's job with the king's anointing. But David sets out to do a little thing, and he takes his little cheeses and his little breads

from watching his little sheep with his little self, the smallest brother, and he shows up little. But when he gets to the battle lines, he hears the shout of a big giant. This giant is nine feet tall. So now all of a sudden, what was little that morning, take this meal to your brothers, turned into the biggest opportunity of his life because it's little till it isn't. Say it, it's little till it isn't. This side say, it's little. This side say, till it isn't.

Elijah the prophet told his servant, go check the sky. I hear the sound of the abundance of rain. It's getting stormy. I know there's been a drought in the land, and the servant came back seven times and said, there's nothing there. And on the seventh time, not the sixth to seventh, he came back and said, well, I see a cloud, but it's little. It's just the size of a man's hand.

And Elijah said, well, you better tell Ahab hitch up his chariots, because it might be little now, but it is loaded. And I came to preach to somebody's life. It might be little now going back to get your degree. It might be little now having integrity on your job. It might be little now making your first appointment with a trainer. It might be little now putting the Word of God in your kid's heart, dragging them to church. It might be little now reading a verse a day.

might be little now, but little as much of God is in it. Jesus was preaching one day. The crowds were hungry. He told the disciples to feed them, and he asked him, what do you have? They said, just a little bit. There's a little boy with a little lunch and a big crowd with a few loaves. What we have is little and as little till it isn't. And when he touched it, what was little became leftovers, because it's only little till

it isn't. Come on, give God a little praise. Little praise, little praise, little praise, little praise, little praise. I see a cloud the size of a man's hand. I see it rising in your life. Or maybe I should say, I see a cloud the size of a man's hand, and I see a seed the size of a mustard seed. And Jesus said some of the most significant things God will do in your life will be some of the smallest things when they start.

All right. If I sent you home right now, I think it was worth it. Just to encourage you with that much, it's little until it isn't. Can I break that down a little more, though? I want to make it worth your while. Tell somebody it's worth it. It's worth it to come to church. It's worth it to put on your uncomfortable shirt.

shoes and your pants that don't have an elastic waistband and get in the house of God and get in a place where you can hear, and it is worth it to devote yourself to the Word of God. And I'm going to tell you something right now about the mustard seed that became a tree. And I don't know if you can kind of make this jump with me, but it's not only true about the kingdom that it's little until it isn't. But it's also true about compromise. It's little till it isn't. It's one glass of wine until you go through something that makes you need three and five and seven.

I wish y'all would look at me like that. What, I'm not allowed to have a standard in my life. I'm not telling you not to drink. What I am saying about this is that I had people make fun of me almost every year of my teenage and adult life when they found out that I have chosen, I can't handle alcohol. And they're like, what? Do you think it's a sin? I'm like, no, I don't think it's a sin.

I just think for me it's slippery. It's slippery. Because I know me. And I am already addicted to enough stuff. I do not need to invite chemical demons into places where I already have plenty of dysfunction. I'm not inviting a gang of demons into my life when my dad struggled with it and his dad struggled with it. And the Lord gave me a real revelation about this one day. I was watching a famous celebrity and they were on a talk show and they were celebrating like 17 years of sobriety and everybody clap for them.

Everybody clapped for them. Everybody clapped for them. Everybody was clapping. The whole studio audience was clapping. And I thought, that's crazy. They will clap for that. But if a teenager decides I'm not going to drink, everybody will make you feel like a fool. So why do we celebrate after they have made such a mess that they need a miracle to make it right?

But we can't celebrate when you put the measures in your life to keep you from the evil in the first place. So if we can celebrate recovery, we can celebrate pre-covery. It means that I can make some little decisions in my life that might keep a guard rate. up for the future. Because it's little till it isn't. It's little till it isn't. And you're saying, what does this have to do with dirt? You said it's worth the dirt. That's your title. What does dirt have to do with decisions? I was looking at these parables. The one I preached about a few weeks ago was the wheat and the weeds. I preached about that. how the enemy will always do something right beside whatever God does in order to try to

get you discouraged and get you to give up. And I do feel like that I'm preaching to a lot of people today who are discouraged either by the seeming insignificance of what God has called you to do. I mean, good Lord, what parent in the room has not been discouraged to think none of this matters? All the little things you do for your kids, all the things they don't say thank you for, all the little pieces of advice you try to give, all the little things that you may do that go unnoticed, all of the little ways you try to correct. There's nobody in here who hasn't felt the idea of, this isn't worth it. Or at the very least, this isn't worth it, and it's not worth it because it's not working. Nothing's getting better. But notice something about the mustard seed.

It became what it was in an unseen place. Notice. The mustard seed was very small, the smallest of all seeds. Yet, verse 32 says, when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants. Now, I just need to preach this like it's Bible study, okay? I'm going to talk to you all, not like you're a Sunday morning crowd. I'm going to talk to you like you're a seminary class. It doesn't say when it grows, it becomes the largest of garden plants. It says, when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants. That means it already was when it went in the ground. It just needed somewhere to grow.

What made the difference between the mustard seed being this big and being this big, what made the difference was the dirt. We don't like dirt. We like shine. We don't like dirt. We like dreams. We don't like dirt. We don't like dirty churches.

We go around to churches, and if one church has a problem with it, we'll leave that church and go to another church. Some of us, we're going from church to church looking for dirt. We are drawn to the church because that church helped me, and that church blessed me. But stay around any church long enough, you'll find dirt. I mean, even the purest church, even the church that says, like, we're the real church. We preach the real gospel, we preach the real truth. They got dirt.

They've got dirt. I promise you, I have lived to see the days when some of the most judgmental people that I ever met in my life turned out to be the most jacked up people that I ever met in my life. And the reason they were so mean is because they were so messed up. And rather than admit they were messed up, they just decided to be mean. So let me go ahead and save you a lot of trouble. This church has dirt.

The person you're sitting next to has dirt. The person that you're sitting next to has some things that they carry with them that they're not proud of. That if you meet them in the wrong place, they might not have a good response. But notice in the passage that it was the dirt. I'm not glorifying sin, but it was the dirt. It was something that we try to remove. It was something that we don't value that made the mustard seed become something that you would not. see on the surface, this trial that you're going through, this shame that you're dealing with,

this issue that you're pushing through. Whether or not you grow from it depends on how you interpret the dirt. Because if I see the dirt as a place to avoid, I will never go through the processes that will make me grow. And I'll run from church to church looking for a church with no dirt. But can I tell you something? You grow in the dirt. You grow in communities. You grow in community. You grow when you have to work through conflict. Quit switching people and start letting God change you. It can't grow if it never gets planted. You can't grow if you never get planted. And yes, there come times to leave jobs, and yes, there come times to leave relationships, and yes, there comes time to leave churches. But I want to tell you that some of us never

produce our potential because we are never planted in our purpose. And sometimes you just have to decide, this is worth it. Devil, you can't have it. This is worth it for fighting for me. Now, that might not be devil, you can have that. I'll pay you to take it. This is not worth it. But this worth it. The word of the Lord for somebody is this one's worth it. This one's worth it. I know it's small. I know you don't see it right now. I know it's taking longer than you thought. I know the momentum is tricky right now. I know the winds are against you, but this one's worth it. This is not just anything. You cannot keep this cycle up of running from things when they get hard. You will never grow that way. This one's worth it.

And I know it's dirty. I know it's messy. I know it'll be easier for you to just hide. But this one is worth it. It's worth the dirt. That's where it grew. It's worth the dirt. That's where it learned to break through.

It's worth the dirt. And yet there's another. Parable, another parable that Jesus told about dirt. He talked in Matthew 1344 about how the Kingdom of Heaven is also like. Now watch this. In the first parable, he's talking about a tree that has to go into the dirt to become what it already is. In this parable, he's talking about a treasure that is hidden in the dirt, but it does not lessen its value. For he said, the kingdom of heaven, 44, is like a treasure hidden in a field.

When a man found it, he hid it again. And then in his joy, he went and sold everything he had. He was happy. He was putting everything on eBay and happy, because the kingdom of God is like this. It's so precious, it's such a priority. The kingdom of God is such a treasure. When he found it, he sold everything he had and bought the treasure. Right?

Wrong. It does not say he bought the treasure. He bought the field. And the last time I checked, fields are made of. And the last time I checked in Genesis 1, verse 7, you are made of dirt. And when God created you, he reached down into the dirt. God didn't make you from stars. God reached down into the dirt.

And when he breathed on what was dirty, the breath of what is holy. In Genesis it says that the man became a living being because God says the dirt is worth it. When I breathe on it, it's worth it. When I speak to it, it's worth it. Matthew 1344 taught me about marriage. It says that a man found a treasure. The kingdom of God is like a man who found a treasure, and he was so happy about the treasure that he sold everything he had. Number one, it taught me that marriage means I'm going to be broke, buying stuff I don't even want. Number two, it taught me that when I bought Holly, Her ring.

Y'all didn't know where I was going with that. What kind of marriage do y'all have? Y'all, when I bought a ring, I spent every dollar I had on the ring. $3,000. $3,000 in 2002. Adjust that for inflation. Big money to your boy. But I did it.

I was happy to do it. I met with this shady dude up in a pawn shop somewhere. I said, now how do I know it's real? He showed me all these papers. I believed him. Now, I've upgraded her ring for every decade that she has dealt with me just to remind her, just to remind her that is worth the dirt. Get that diamond a little bit bigger just to remind her.

In case she forgets, I'm sure she doesn't. I've been looking back on that. Is anybody engaged in the room today? Anybody engaged to be married? For real, weir. Congratulations. You got a ring and everything? A ring, pop.

Do you really have a fiancé? Is that part true? Show me. Good job. I'm so happy for you. But this is one thing I want you to understand. And I really want to use this as an example for everybody in the room. When I put the ring on, on Holly's finger. I got down on Wendy at Furman University. She said I do, but she didn't say I

do to the diamond. She said I do to the dirt. So I just want to say, you're saying I do to the dirt. Because the man didn't buy the treasure, he bought the field that the treasure was at. So when she said I do, she was saying, I do to the dirt. That would have been easy at that point in our relationship for her to say, I do to my anointing because she'd seen me operate in ministry. She had seen me go and minister, and I would preach, just like I preach now, I was always passionate, I was always edgy, I always said things that I went back and thought later. I shouldn't have said it like that, but I always had heart.

And she would see me try to break through a room and give people an opportunity to meet Jesus where they were. And I know that's one of the reasons that she fell in love with me. And I know that she was saying, I do to my anointing, because she felt like God had called us together to minister, and it was a lifelong thing. And I know she said yes to my anointing, my treasure, but she was also saying, I do to my anxiety. Because what she never could have known is that behind the anointing to preach is the anxiety that is the constant companion of God's call. And when she said, I do to the diamond, she was saying, I do to the dirt. And the woman that has sat on the front row to hear me preach, and the woman that has been around the world to hear me preach,

and the woman that has gotten two upgrades on her diamond, goes home and accepts the dirt. Not that I'm a hypocrite. Not that there is a darkness in my life. that is the result of me not knowing God, but everybody has a treasure and a field. Everybody has a diamond and a dirt. You know she said to me last night, I said, babe, I'm all out of whack, I'm preaching a day early, I don't know why I feel anxious. I'm sorry, I feel anxious so much. She said, stop apologizing for it and tell me how I can help you.

What's she's saying? She's saying, I do the dirt. We need some people, whether it's husbands, wives, staff members at Elevation Church. We need some people, Christians, believers, moms, dads, students. We need some people who will say, you know what, I don't just run around from field to field when it gets dirty. I don't just run around from trend to trend chasing stuff to fix my life. I'm not a quick fix Christian.

I do dirt, and you will find me praising God, and you will find me fulfilling purpose, and you will find me on my post, because I didn't just say I do to the diamond. I don't just show up when it's shiny. I show up with a shovel. I do dirt. If the sound goes out, I'll say it again. If the snow comes down, I'll preach it early. If hell breaks loose, I'll come out on fire, because I do dirt.

If I go broke, I've never seen the righteous forsaken. If they hate me, he loves me. I do dirt because God does dirt. God does dirt, not only in creation, but in incarnation. For God saw man in his dirt. dirt, in his filth, in his blood, in his works, in his salvationless state, in his worst moment. And God from heaven sent Jesus from a throne to a cross.

Who would pay such a price for the sin of the world? Here's your king crucified. What's he saying? I do dirt. And when Jesus paid for you. on Calvary. He didn't just buy diamonds. He bought. I'm thankful for a God who does dirt. I'm grateful that he looks at me covered in all of the things that I should have cast off and said, it's worth the dirt. It's worth the dirt. It's worth being misunderstood sometimes. It's worth the dirt.

This right here, this one's worth it. This one ain't. This one is. And when God whispers, it's worth it. It's worth the dirt. Like a treasure hidden in a field. Can't see it on the surface. Write this down.

You don't trip over treasure. You dig it out. Stop looking for God to put stuff on the surface. This one he dug for, it was hidden. was hidden. If it ain't buried, it probably ain't treasure. And that's why in this season of your life, you're having to fight through some difficulties, you're having to fight through some dirt, but the dirt served a purpose. It made the mustard seed. Watch this, branch out. Now notice, the baby seed was so small you couldn't see it. But in the end of the parable, Jesus said,

this seed that is not big, it's little, until... it isn't. And by the end of this seed's time in the dirt, it had branches coming out the ground. Show them, verse 32. I want you to see it with your own eyes. He said, and the branches are so big that the birds come and perch in the branches. I don't know if you can receive this or not, but the battle that you have been going through in your life, the battle is for the branches. Because when the tree gets done growing, it's going to be like this. Now it's like this. And you've been wondering, why is the devil picking on me? I'm nobody.

Why is it so hard for me? I'm nothing. It's because of your branches. It is because that God wants to use you to bring generational blessing to people who will come after you. That's what the battle is about. I look back on this time in our church when the devil was after us when we were young, and I know why he came after us when we were young because of you.

If we died while we were young, we never would have reached you. If this church did not exist, if he could have snatched the seed, Matthew chapter 3, verse 3, if he could have taken the seed and scorched it with the sun, Matthew 13, verse 5, If he could have taken the seat and choked it out with the worries of this life, it would not be spreading to the earth today. And I would not be able to look into this camera and tell you that Jesus saves and Jesus cleanses and God does dirt and the crosses God say, and I came for this. And the battle was for the branches. Is that not true of you? Did God not know what was in you when he put you in the situation?

And you've got to trust that it's worth the dirt. See, because I've seen God move mountains. I've seen God make ways. And now that I've seen what a tree can be, I understand what I am fighting for. I understand that the battle is for your branches. You've got to get free. You've got to get back. You've got to bounce from this.

You've got to recover. You've got to move forward. You've got to show them what it looks like. when we do it anyway. You've got to. The battle is not over your seed. The battle is over your tree. The battle is over your branches. And when I see what God is doing in this church, even when I see it in my own family, do you understand that the devil has fought me so hard through the years? So many times I've wanted to quit, it's not worth it. And I know you felt that way, too. If a preacher feels that way. Surely you feel that way. I preach to souls for a living. Sometimes all you feel

like you do is organize chaos. But one night this summer, I was walking through our house, and Elijah and Graham and Abby were there upstairs. Down at the bottom of the stairs on a Sunday night, there was this, well just show them real quick, this picture I want to give you. I don't know if you can see it real good. But that's shoes. That's the shoes of about 100 teenagers. Those shoes smell like wrestling gym on a Saturday afternoon. Same smell. And all these shoes at the bottom of my stairs and all this noise in my house. And downstairs were the shoes and upstairs were the shoes. And upstairs in our house was Graham, Abby, Elijah's over there somewhere, my wife is downstairs, the shoes are at the thing, and upstairs was some kids, now show them the video, jumping, singing,

praising the Lord. And the ceiling was shaken too. And the ceiling was shaken, and the ceiling was shaking. And the ceiling was shaking. And I walked upstairs and said, y'all got to get out. This is not the New Testament. I know they tore off the roof in the New Testament, but my homeowner's insurance doesn't cover it. Go outside. But I got the picture. That downstairs, show them the picture.

Downstairs was the dirt. And upstairs was the worship. And downstairs was the dirt. And upstairs was the worship and downstairs was the process and upstairs was the praise. And I'm trying to get you to see that you can worship God because the dirt is worth. God does dirt. I prepared this word today hoping that it would go out online to our entire church community. all over the world. But if one of you today needed to hear the whisper of God saying,

it's working, then it's working. Everybody does the diamonds. God does the dirt. With your head bowed and your eyes closed, received the mystery of the parable of the mustard seed and the treasure in the field, is that God does dirt. No matter what the enemy has thrown on your life, just try to stop you from growing. It won't work. It's only going to grow you more. Yes, Lord, I'll say it again. It's only going to grow you more. Whatever it is. It's worth the dirt. It's worth you going through a season of repentance to live a life healed. It's worth the dirt. It's worth God stripping some things away so he can bring some things forth. There is true. treasure inside of you. I know people don't like it when I preach like this. They say,

oh, well, tell them how sinful they are. You know that already. I came to remind you, God does dirt. He breathes on brokenness. It's worth it. Jesus stretched his arms because it's worth it. I encourage you today. Stay I do to the dirt. Make a commitment in your life. Lord, no matter how long it takes me, I believe you can wash me clean. God, here I am again, dirty again, disappointed again, but I heard you do dirt. I heard you came from heaven, lived in a little town called Nazareth, and died on a cruel cross, the splinters in your back, the lashes, the wounds in your side, the nails in your hands. I heard you do dirt. Father, would you take my life today? All that I am, all that I'm not, my little loaves,

my little mustard seed life. and bring branches forth from them. Father, I pray today for those who are feeling alone or abandoned or forsaken. Maybe they've even buried their hope. As I pray to you, Lord, I'm reminded that the seed appeared to be buried, but it was indeed planted. It means it served a purpose. I thank you that the dirt is serving a purpose in each of our lives.

And I thank you that there is a treasure that the world cannot touch. We thank you that the kingdom of heaven is that treasure. You're worth it, Lord. Not just what you do for us, but who you are to us. You are worth it. You're worthy of our worship. You're worthy of our praise. You're worthy of our lives.

And now, God, I commend these treasures in a field to you, the diamonds and the dirt. I thank you that you know what you're doing. You know where you planted them. I thank you that they're growing by grace. Thank you for this word that we receive today. We will never be the same. With heads still bowed and eyes still closed, there's somebody who's hearing this message today

and you need to give your life to Jesus Christ. You don't have to clean yourself up to come to God. That's why God came to you. He does the cleaning. You do the coming. You come to him like you are and you won't leave that way. Jesus will change you. will save you. To the uttermost, call on the name of the Lord, and you will be saved. So I'm going to

pray a prayer right now. And if you want to give your life to Jesus, repeat this prayer after me. We're going to pray it out loud in the room for the benefit of those all over the world who are coming to Christ in this moment. Repeat after me, Heavenly Father, I am a sinner in need of a Savior. And I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and the Savior of the world. And today, I make Jesus the Lord of my life. I believe he died, that I would be forgiven, was buried and rose again to give me life. I receive your life. Here's mine. I am a child of God. I am a new creation.

On the count of three, if you prayed that prayer, shoot your hand in the air. One, two, three. Or if you're watching online, just put it in the chat. Say, I receive Jesus. Come on, let's thank God. Everybody who just prayed that, thank you, Jesus for new beginnings. Thank you for joining us. Special thanks to those of you who give generously.

to this ministry is because of you that this ministry is possible. You can click the link in the description to give now or visit elevationchurch.org slash podcast for more information. And if you enjoyed the podcast, you can subscribe, you can share it with your friends. You can click the share button, take a screenshot, and share it on your social stories and tag us at Elevation Church. Thanks again for listening. God bless you.

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